“The image of Germany as a partner of Poland in the security policy has not been good for several years. Many Poles are not surprised that Germany is not acting decisively during the current crisis. However, they are outraged by the information chaos in Berlin. The German government did not speak with one voice for a long time. There were many views, but there was no clear line, “Buras said in an interview with the weekend issue of the Tageszeitung (TAZ).
“Olaf Scholz made policy towards Russia his priority, but he did not live up to this task at all,” assessed the political scientist, head of the Warsaw office of the European Council of Foreign Affairs (ECFR).
Berlin has ceased to lead
“Germany has ceased to have the ambition to lead its policy towards Russia. Regardless of how Angela Merkel’s policy is assessed, it is undisputed that she played a decisive role in the EU’s policy towards Russia. She actively strove for unity in the EU, ”said Buras. As he emphasized, Germany is much more responsible than other countries. “I believe that the Germans do not understand how big this responsibility is and what expectations result from it,” he added.
According to Buras, the reference by the German government to the military past in order to justify abstinence towards Russia is outdated. The political scientist pointed out that in the polls most Europeans approve of the leading role of Germany. “This could be a consequence of the Merkel era which increased confidence in Germany ,” he explains. “In German foreign policy, the past is often only an excuse, as in the current conflict with Russia,” he assessed.
As he recalled, the Ukrainians suffered during the German occupation at least as much as the Russians. “The current conflict is about the right to self-determination and the inviolability of borders. Responsibility to the German past means the need to defend these principles, “said Buras in an interview with” TAZ “.
When asked about the supply of weapons to Ukraine , Buras said they were a deterrent, which is not popular in Germany, but is very much needed in this case. “We have no other instruments to prevent the conflict from escalating. We will not accept Ukraine into NATO, we will not wage war, we will not send soldiers. It is clear to us and Putin. The president of Russia, on the other hand, is calculating the costs of the invasion. These costs can be increased by the supply of weapons. It is not about Ukraine becoming as militarily strong as Russia. It would be an illusion to make such attempts. But the better Ukraine can defend itself, the higher the costs (of the attack) would be for the Russian army, “TAZ reads.
According to Buras, apart from the crisis of the rule of law in Poland, the geopolitical crisis in the East is the most serious crisis in the EU. The political scientist warned that Germany’s controversial policy towards Russia undermines Germany’s credibility in the EU.
“If Germany’s image is damaged as a result of its policy towards Russia, the legitimacy of the German government to take a stronger stance in other crises will be significantly weakened. The Ukrainian crisis is a test for Europe’s unity in a fundamental matter. Europeans must show that they can act together, Buras concludes.
Prepare to be downvoted by angry germans.
The interview with Piotr Buras can be read in German here.
>The Ukrainian crisis is a test for Europe’s unity in a fundamental matter
Between the nordics (except Fin) and brits that are basically so far up the USA’s ass they could be considered gut flora, the Germans that are trying to avoid upsetting anyone, most of all their own profits, the French that are using any situation to try to get ahead of Germany as the unofficial leader of the EU, the effects of disinformation in the Balkans, and whatever Spain and Italy are doing right now, good luck with that.
Europe’s “unity” is probably going to be following whatever the americans decide to do, like always.
Merkel really chose a bad time to retire. Even if she didn’t had the support she once did we would already had a resolution to this problem. We will miss her
5 comments
“The image of Germany as a partner of Poland in the security policy has not been good for several years. Many Poles are not surprised that Germany is not acting decisively during the current crisis. However, they are outraged by the information chaos in Berlin. The German government did not speak with one voice for a long time. There were many views, but there was no clear line, “Buras said in an interview with the weekend issue of the Tageszeitung (TAZ).
“Olaf Scholz made policy towards Russia his priority, but he did not live up to this task at all,” assessed the political scientist, head of the Warsaw office of the European Council of Foreign Affairs (ECFR).
Berlin has ceased to lead
“Germany has ceased to have the ambition to lead its policy towards Russia. Regardless of how Angela Merkel’s policy is assessed, it is undisputed that she played a decisive role in the EU’s policy towards Russia. She actively strove for unity in the EU, ”said Buras. As he emphasized, Germany is much more responsible than other countries. “I believe that the Germans do not understand how big this responsibility is and what expectations result from it,” he added.
According to Buras, the reference by the German government to the military past in order to justify abstinence towards Russia is outdated. The political scientist pointed out that in the polls most Europeans approve of the leading role of Germany. “This could be a consequence of the Merkel era which increased confidence in Germany ,” he explains. “In German foreign policy, the past is often only an excuse, as in the current conflict with Russia,” he assessed.
As he recalled, the Ukrainians suffered during the German occupation at least as much as the Russians. “The current conflict is about the right to self-determination and the inviolability of borders. Responsibility to the German past means the need to defend these principles, “said Buras in an interview with” TAZ “.
When asked about the supply of weapons to Ukraine , Buras said they were a deterrent, which is not popular in Germany, but is very much needed in this case. “We have no other instruments to prevent the conflict from escalating. We will not accept Ukraine into NATO, we will not wage war, we will not send soldiers. It is clear to us and Putin. The president of Russia, on the other hand, is calculating the costs of the invasion. These costs can be increased by the supply of weapons. It is not about Ukraine becoming as militarily strong as Russia. It would be an illusion to make such attempts. But the better Ukraine can defend itself, the higher the costs (of the attack) would be for the Russian army, “TAZ reads.
According to Buras, apart from the crisis of the rule of law in Poland, the geopolitical crisis in the East is the most serious crisis in the EU. The political scientist warned that Germany’s controversial policy towards Russia undermines Germany’s credibility in the EU.
“If Germany’s image is damaged as a result of its policy towards Russia, the legitimacy of the German government to take a stronger stance in other crises will be significantly weakened. The Ukrainian crisis is a test for Europe’s unity in a fundamental matter. Europeans must show that they can act together, Buras concludes.
Prepare to be downvoted by angry germans.
The interview with Piotr Buras can be read in German here.
https://taz.de/Polnischer-Politologe-ueber-SPD-im-Ukraine-Konflikt/!5828808/
>The Ukrainian crisis is a test for Europe’s unity in a fundamental matter
Between the nordics (except Fin) and brits that are basically so far up the USA’s ass they could be considered gut flora, the Germans that are trying to avoid upsetting anyone, most of all their own profits, the French that are using any situation to try to get ahead of Germany as the unofficial leader of the EU, the effects of disinformation in the Balkans, and whatever Spain and Italy are doing right now, good luck with that.
Europe’s “unity” is probably going to be following whatever the americans decide to do, like always.
Merkel really chose a bad time to retire. Even if she didn’t had the support she once did we would already had a resolution to this problem. We will miss her